Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer

If you are as yet unfamiliar with the work of Bret Anthony Johnston, dear writer, there are two things you should know. The first is that his fiction is tight, controlled, alluring and fresh, so he knows whereof he speaks. (And if you haven't discovered him yet, I highly recommend purchasing Corpus Christi along with Naming the World; the former is a collection of Johnston's short stories.) The second is that Bret Anthony Johnston is currently one of our most vocal and devoted cheerleaders for the craft of writing. Like Ray Bradbury, Johnston is a writer's writer, someone who can become just as enthusiastic and excited about the process of writing as he can about the finished product itself.The introduction to Naming the World begins, "I don't believe in talent... Truth be told, I'm not at all sure that writing can be taught. I am positive, though, that it can be learned. What I believe in, as a writer and a teacher, is dedication." I once heard author Douglas Clegg say, "I don't believe the great American novel will be written by a writer who is 'great'; I believe it will be written by a writer who writes." He went on to say that, as writers, the greatest obstacle we have to conquer is the self-doubt that keeps us from writing. Because after all, as tired of a cliche as it may be, practice does indeed make perfect--or close enough to perfect to publish.For those of us, from novice to professional, whose lives are sustained by writing, Naming the World offers a buffet of appetizers, prepared by some of my favorite writers, designed to intensify our hunger for putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Johnston names dedication, stubbornness and discipline as the traits he believes will lead to writing as a vocation. The aspect of discipline comes in writing every day. This book will provide a hundred jumping off places to do just that. If you are a writer who is interested in perfecting your craft--whether you are an apprentice or a tradesman already--read this book and listen to what some of the masters say. There is something here for everyone, inspiration on virtually every page, and the sound of Bret Johnston's voice in the background, cheering us all on.

I'm more at an intermediate level of fiction writing (although not published yet) and found many number of exercises to be enlightening, thought provoking, and beneficial in aiding one's understanding of fiction writing. The book is probably more suited for beginners to intermediate fiction writers who require some instruction on the nuances of writing in a friendly and unintimidating tone. I have read about 2/3 of the book, skimmed through the rest, and have done a half dozen exercises and must say that I finally found a book that is tightly focused in presenting helpful writing excerises that are not bloated but to the point and fun to do. I especially liked the section on "Character Exercises".The chapters are broken down as such: Getting Started, Characters, Point of View and Tone, Plot and Narrative, Dialogue and Voice, Descriptive Language and Setting, Revision, and Daily Warmups. Each Chapter is further broken down by several authors who offer their insight and a few exercises each on a particular aspect of fiction writing. Highly recommend.Another highly recommended text on creative writing is "One Year to a Writing Life" by Susan M. Tiberghien.***UPDATE***Another great book with excellent exercises that focuses on the entire writing process is "The Dramatic Writer's Companion" by Will Dunne which surpasses both books mentioned above for its concise depth in theory, along with exercises that benefit the momentum of any writing project!!!!

Amazing compilation of notes, advice, suggestions, and guidelines for writing creative fiction (mostly). It was fun to read and very helpful, this book has given me many more ideas for exercises in my writing and approaches to take. This book is an eclectic collection of short segments from different published writers advising the reader on important topics and things to consider in the areas of: getting started (getting ideas), characters, point of view and tone, plot and narrative, dialogue and voice, descriptive language and setting, and revision. At the end there's also a long list of daily writing warm-ups for the reader to do (short and simple, such as: spend 5 min describing <event/object/etc>).

I needed this book for school and of course, the kindle version has no page numbers. This is literally an educational book how are you not going to include page numbers? I can't cite this book because there are no page numbers!!! I'm sick of Amazon's weird location options that are not helpful when you need an educational book that will need to be cited. Please add page numbers to the kindle edition or don't make it available as one.

The antidotes and exercises in this book are more useful than those in other writing and creativity books on my shelves. They have helped me break through to authentic and interesting material. Some of my other books talk about what story structure sells, and those craft books have their place. They leave me dry and uninspired to write. For me, this book inspires the pure writing that you can then shape and edit later.

Had to buy this for a class. It is adequate, if not a bit long on anecdotes and short on substance, much like the class that required it. Bottom line for me is in a box headed for Half Price Books.

After all the hype from creative writing teachers in various places I was expecting really inventive, insightful exercises to use with my students, but in fact it was all old news. I am sure there is a lot here for you if you're new to writing exercises, but otherwise it's not all I was led to expect.

I am always looking for good books on craft. I tend to be dismissive of compilations, as a lazy way out and find those with 'stars' frequently even lazier. This one however is well thought out. The contributions are for the most part considered and the a number of the exercises are excellent.

I am a professional writer mentor and I use this book both for myself and my clients. It's great to get you "unstuck" and writing again, if you're having trouble or have taken some time off (or just finished a project and don't know what's next). I've used it for years and this copy was for one of my clients as part of her mentorship package.